14.3 million people in the UK hold premium bonds and have never won a single prize. Not £25. Not once.
That stat sent Jordan down a rabbit hole this week, and what he found underneath it is worse. 23 million people hold £135 billion in premium bonds, making it the UK's most popular savings product — while the average prize winner is sitting on around £23,400 and 94% of £1 million jackpot winners held over £10,000 in bonds. Then there's the bigger problem: £610 billion of long-term UK cash with no job to do at all.
Premium Bonds Article: https://bitcoincollective.co/blog/premium-bonds-why-winning-feels-like-losing
In this solo episode:
• Where premium bonds came from in 1956, and why ERNIE has a Bletchley Park connection
• The Freedom of Information request that revealed who never wins
• Why even winning can still be losing once you account for purchasing power
• How premium bonds became the cheapest borrowing the state has
• The £610 billion sitting idle, and why the UK has the lowest investing rate in the G7
Chapters:
00:00 Why premium bonds sent me down a rabbit hole
00:55 1956: ERNIE, Colossus and a "squalid raffle"
02:00 The UK's most popular savings product
02:55 Two thirds have never won a prize
03:40 Why the wins go to the already wealthy
04:35 Even winning is losing
06:15 The cheapest borrowing the state has
07:30 £610 billion with no job to do
09:15 Rates rose and Britain saved harder
11:15 8% vs 33% — and why I talk about Bitcoin
🇬🇧 Join the UK Bitcoin Business Network here: https://www.joinbbn.com/
CONTACT JORDAN:
X: https://x.com/JayW132
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordan-walker-293955106/
Email: hello@bitcoincollective.co
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All content provided by The Bitcoin Collective and guests in this episode is for informational and educational purposes only and is not financial, trading, or investment advice.
⸻
EDITED BY JAMES PEARCE
www.selectedfrequencies.com
Available now on YouTube and all major podcast platforms. This episode is for educational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. Always do your own research.
